BILLINGS — Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Usually, it’s a day to shower your loved one with gifts and dinners, but it’s also a huge day for animal shelters. And there are creative events happening around Montana to help spread the love to our future furry family members.
Valentine’s Day is all about showing love for that special someone— and sometimes, that special pet.
“I was talking to one of my single friends and she said, 'Valentine’s Day isn’t my favorite.' And I was like how can I change that? And she said come and let me cuddle some cats and I said I can do that," said Laramie Smovir at the Great Falls animal shelter.
From one end of the state to the other, animal shelters and rescue groups are capitalizing on the holiday. The animal shelter in Great Falls is setting up blind dates with pets. Just fill out a form and they’ll match you with a furry friend.
At the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter in Billings, bingo is the theme.
"It’s called Bingo with Bingo Valentine's edition. This is meant for single folks. If you have a partner or if your dog is your furry Valentine. Just a fun night of Bingo," said Tiffany Smith, development director at the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter, on Thursday.
The shelter is teaming up with Bark Park for a date night with your four-legged family members, with the hope it will lead to more pet adoptions.
"If we have adoptable dogs that are friendly with other dogs, we’ll bring them. So, hopefully at the very least a fun night for dog lovers in the community to get together and have some fun, play some games," added Smith.
"These dogs get to get out to an event where people maybe might not get a chance to get to the shelter to see the dogs that are needing homes. So, they get to see them in a public setting and get some exposure and give a chance to be seen and get adopted," said Rusty Ontiveros, owner of Bark Park on Thursday.
Shelters all across the country are joining in on the fun. Everything from puppy-grams delivered by puppies in Tennessee, to naming litter boxes after exes in Indiana.
And at the San Antonio Zoo, you can name a cockroach, rodent or vegetable after an ex and have it fed to an animal.
Finding fun ways to engage the communities and help animals in the process.
"We’re always trying fun new things, to raise funds for our animals and help connect animal lovers in our community," Smith added.
A holiday now taking on a new twist and uniting man with man's best friend.
